Gelehrter was seated across of Ovelia and Gavilis. This would be their final meeting together before he was transported to a holding cell where he would digest a medication Gavilis prepared for him.

“To dull the senses and open the mind. This will help you ease into your new identity.” His words resounded in the expanse of his mind. He lowered his head but remained silent. Arden was the closest to him and her expression was filled with nothing but worry.

“I am terribly sorry. I know this must be hard for you.” Arden spoke softly.

He could muster a grunt but nothing more. Gelehrter palmed a pair of medication and reached for the tea. He popped it into his mouth then drained his liquid. The drug worked quickly through his system and his vision blurred. He could scarcely discern which shape was which as he stood. Two pairs of arms lifted him upright and they helped him stagger to the appointed room. His lulled forward as he allowed himself to be consumed by the dull sensation. A light illuminated ahead of him and he gently raised his head to try to peer into it. The source was far too bright for him and he shielded his eyes. An eternity seemed to drag its feet as he was engulfed by the light and found himself in an endless white void.

Across the way sat his old friend Rena, whom he adored. She appeared disheveled and unkempt. She leaped to her feet and began fighting some sort of invisible enemy. Her weapon danced in the air as she wielded it with rekindled fury. He glanced down at his palms in confusion only for his dark optics to reveal he was stark naked.

Rena as well was stark naked and when she spotted him, her clothing materializing around her frame. She pointed her bloodstained weapon, blood dripping from the tip of her sword. Her eyes were glazed over as if she were possessed. The Blessed Star of Sanctuary gleamed as it augmented her and protected her from any mortal blow. Gelehrter felt the familiar drain of the Blessed Star and he instinctively drew his blade in turn. Sorrow strung a bow across his heartstrings and he realized then the conflict Rena had internalized. She lived under the shadow of Mortem, the thumb which halted all progress and dreams she had when she first signed on as a young lass.

Her past shimmered with each successful blow he dealt and blocked, the training he had grown accustomed to with Arden--whom they adored as well as feared--paid off. Their sparring matches left him with more knowledge than Arden could ever provide, for she was a horrid and impatient teacher.

Gelehrter then recalled several memories of his own which they shared together from when he was younger. Their youth was stolen by time and then lost in the stream. He recalled the horrific time in his life when Stolzer had ventured on his own to fulfill a mission against orders. To this day he refused to believe this was the true events even though the official report stated otherwise. The day he received the news was when he knew that being a Justicar was the only way to learning the truth.

From witnessing the Wrath of the Ancients to this point in time when he crossed blades with his ally who had been imprisoned, this confirmed all of his suspicions. Ovelia and Gavilis were ordering them to their deaths. Arden was their only saving grace because with her status as a noble--not to mention since she was the heir to the Eternal Throne--she could turn the tides of the conflict and the Council to peace with vampires. Being the oldest known race in Sanctuary, they were being slaughtered because of the deaths of both Ernald and Eloise the First.

He simply released his blade and stepped to the side, steel hissing as it passed by the barrier of his Blessed Star. They were locked in a deadly dance of death until his footing was caught by a stray hand which wrapped around his ankle. He ducked to avoid a swipe aimed for his neck and he screamed in horror as a mound of copies proceeded to engulf him in their cold embrace. Hands smeared blood across his visage as they worked to plug his nose and mouth, their fingers attempted to gouge out his eyes.

And in an instant he found himself locked inside of the white void. The corpses and Rena were nowhere to be found, but he was hopelessly alone. An expanse as far as he could see welcomed him, yet he doubted he would ever feel at ease in this desolate place. A feeling of unease engulfed him and he remembered his own helplessness.

As he looked down at his body, his own reflected glowered back. They were a pair of brown swirling eyes which now were filled with millions of questions.

Gelehrter shook his head and turned away from the image of himself.

The ritual ended without a hitch. Rena returned to Sanctuary hale and whole, her eyes glazed over as if she spent the few months locked in a deep slumber. Around her Arden, Ovelia and Gavilis had her surrounded. Their Blessed Stars were not activated, for the magical energy locked within their enchanted gear would instead be siphoned by the Soul Cube.

Rena decided it would be in her best interest to play dumb. Her knowledge base regarding the Soul Cube's functions would at least match Gavilis. Ovelia would essentially only know what a Cube's function limits would be in theory. Gavilis eyed her curiously but remained silent.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

His glowing emerald orbs locked onto the Soul Cube for a spell. Gavilis appeared more interested in the object than her and she was spared any questioning by the wise Grandmaster.

“You’re alive…” Arden released a sigh of relief. She saw the genuine body language her friend allowed to show and she smiled in return. There was a moment of silence then but it was shattered by Ovelia. The Sanguine Overlord kneeled before her and rested a hand onto her shoulder. This touch sent shivers down her spine as she quickly gathered the gravity of the situation. Soon there would be only death.

“We’ve found the Wrath of the Ancients at this location after you went missing as well as an empty warehouse. The machine was left behind but the Soul Cubes remained. Your sacrifice was not in vain and neither was Gelehrter’s.” Rena garnered a few hints of sadness to her superior’s voice. She was indeed filled with melancholy for the young Justicar, inexperienced as he may be.

Rena shook her head as thoughts of the white void crept in from the bowels of her psyche.

“The ritual was successful, then?” She turned to them and awaited an answer. They all nodded in unison and she noticed a slight pause in Gavilis, as if he were lost in thought.

“What will we do with the Cube?” Arden peered over her shoulder and asked.

“It will remain here until further notice. This room will be off limits.” Gavilis ordered and Ovelia agreed. They helped Rena to her feet. Gavilis was the first to exit, Ovelia following shortly after and Arden was the last.

Rena weaved a few magic words slurred together and the device shifted into a smaller version of itself and left a mirror image in its wake. She grasped the object in her hand and then exited shortly after. Her body feigned loss of balance easily, for it had grown tired and her head pounded from the abuse the Soul Cube wrought. Arden pulled her arm over her shoulder and she aided her walk to a chamber all her own. Every room faded into a myriad of colors until she found herself washed in a sensation of clean sheets.

Tears cascaded from her eyes as the scent of lavenders, a familiar perfume which Arden wore frequently when they worked together enveloped her. Her friend had heaved her onto the bed and tucked her in, but remained by her bedside. The usual tension which she had grown accustomed to over the short time they spent together returned. Rena giggled softly to herself and as her vision cleared, so too did her grasp on reality.

The rite they prepared in order to free me from the Soul Cube was used to join me with Gelehrter. She guarded her mind as the thought passed. Her dark hues focused onto Arden, whose nose was buried in a book.

They were alone. This felt like some strange dream which plagued her for the short time she spent in the Soul Cube. At least, in her mind it was a short amount of time. Her voice was buried in the bowels of her esophagus and she found that no words could express the sorrow which encompassed her. She could not comprehend which reality she resided in and instead lifted her arm over her eyes. The dim light in the room seemed to blind her. Sin was a heavy burden and her shoulders were not prepared to carry that immense weight.

Yet, here she was, convinced she was helping someone she loved by committing the worst sin of all and her lips would be sealed. The only one who could possibly know would be Arden, who knew the most of her trauma.

Even then, she was a threat and would have to be eliminated if she knew. There was no chance of her besting a Mortem, much less one equipped with an enchanted sword. Schemes upon schemes piled upon each other in her psyche. The tears stopped, but nonetheless left a mess upon her arms. Rena lifted her arm from over her eyes and peeked under the sheets. Bare skin glowered up at her and she wriggled uncomfortably.

“What is the matter?” Arden’s question hung in the air and Rena struggled to find her voice.

“E-er... Did…” She muttered.

“Yes, I removed your clothes. You preferred my bed when you were naked, don’t you remember?” Her friend appeared to smile, though to her it seemed alien.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean….well, I suppose if I should remind you. There were times when I was not in the same District and I gave you permission to sleep here if you so chose. I caught you last time.” Arden giggled.

Rena glared at her. She was met instead with a look of adoration, but it was faint. Somehow her observation skills were sharpened by the imprisonment and this also struck a nerve. Her training was second to none, for her former master was Stolzer. His skills were bar none, at least it was to her.

“So now you think it is a perfect time to strip me of my clothes to--” Rena was interrupted by a finger to her lips and she puckered instinctively.

“Hush.” She said and continued, “You should rest here for a while. The going will be more rough here on out.”

“...We should visit Ana.” Rena suggested and Arden gestured to another figure nearby. Ana’s disheveled appearance was otherwise unsettling and she nearly leaped from her skin at the sight of her. Her eyes were weighed like an ancient woman, her hair singed in many areas. Ana had the brightest emerald eyes, but now she seemed nothing but a shadow of her former self.

“She decided to visit you instead.”

Ana slowly approached, her bare feet swollen. Rena could not hide the horror on her face when she reared back.

“W-What...what happened to you?”

Ana shook her head. She appeared lost in thought continuously and was too absent-minded to even speak. Her head fell in a lull and she shook her head to break the spell. “Gelehrter...Gelehrter…”

The words were almost too quiet to catch, but Arden stood upright and helped Ana into the bed as well.

Ana wrapped her arms around her like a small child. Her stomach had a slight bulge and her eyes widened as it bounced at her touch.